Mesa Water Education Center
- Owner:
- Mesa Water District
- Location:
- Costa Mesa, California
- Value:
- $5,000,000
- Completion:
- 2025
- Contractor:
- Hamel Contracting
- Designer:
- IBI Group
- Photography:
- Courtesy of Mesa Water District
Butier Engineering provided construction management and inspection services for the state-of-the-art Mesa Water Education Center. This facility highlights Mesa Water District’s commitment to local groundwater conservation, community engagement, and future workforce development. The project included the renovation and partial demolition of the existing Administration Building at the Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF). Additionally, new structures were built, including a spare parts storage building, a chemical storage building at the MWRF, and an off-site storage building at Well 7. The existing Community Room was remodeled to accommodate the relocated Administration Building. Demolition activities involved the existing offices, SCADA Control Room, and Water Quality Lab, paving the way for a new foundation and structural steel building that created the 2,400-square-foot Mesa Water Education Center. Site work encompassed the installation of underground utilities, earthwork, paving, and pavers, along with modifications to the existing demonstration garden and irrigation systems.
Fast Facts About the Mesa Water Education Center:
- 100% Local Water Supply: Mesa Water is the only district in Orange County that meets all its water needs with local sources, and the center emphasizes this drought-resilient mode.
- Only One of Its Kind in Orange County: It’s currently the only dedicated water education center in the county, giving it a unique regional role.
- Interactive Exhibits: Features over 20 hands-on displays that explore water sources, treatment, and delivery systems.
- Water-Wise Demonstration Garden: Showcases native California plants and efficient landscaping techniques.
- Redwood Theater: Offers an immersive film experience about Mesa Water’s ancient amber water, also known as “redwood tea.”
- Mini Redwood Forest: A tribute to the region’s prehistoric redwood trees, maintained with a misting system.
- Co-located with Mesa Water Reliability Facility: The wells draw water from a deep aquifer located directly beneath Costa Mesa. This ancient groundwater is approximately 12,000 years old and has an amber tint, which is attributed to the redwood trees that once grew in the area. Visitors can learn about the nanofiltration process used to remove the amber tint from this historical water source.
- Career Exploration: The center actively introduces students to water industry careers, addressing a national workforce gap in the sector
- STEM-Aligned Curriculum: Educational content meets Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and supports science, technology, engineering, and math learning geared towards fifth-grade students.